Long story short, I started with Pokemon at 8, progressed to Yu-Gi-Oh! at 10, and at eleven discoverd in quick progression Rurouni Kenshin, Fushigi Yugi, and the Kodocha manga. Of those last three, I really only still consider myself a fan of the last one, but I'm glad that the former introduced me to dramatic action shows, the second to shoujo, and that the latter refined some of my tastes. Now I'm 19, my tastes have grown and changed, and I'm all the better for it. (If you had told me at 14 that I'd be watching Macross, I'd have given you a confused look.)

So, while what I watch really isn't dictated my genre, I tend to be pretty selective in what I pick up, mostly because I decided back when I forced myself to watch Code Geass that I shouldn't be watching something unless I was enjoying it. That said, I'm always looking for recommendations.

I'm also exceptionally stubborn about how I view anime, as I insist that it must be in a legal form, though I don't criticize others for viewing fansubs. Granted, this has resulted in utter frustration as the show I want to see more than any other is Bokurano, the only un-licensed Gonzo show.

So far, I really like the podcast. It's very well done, and the opinions expressed seem focused and reasonable - it also doesn't seem slanted in the direction of a particular genre, and the hosts seem to be looking at shows from a storytelling point of view, which I really appreciate.

Not that you asked for my opinion, but I agree with you on Princess Tutu. I really enjoyed that anime myself, and was very impressed overall at how that story came together. It was like when you open a present and get more than you expected.

On a note of fansubs, they are -at times- a good thing. Before an anime is licenced in America it is not illegal to fansub/download the anime because there are no copyright laws in our country regarding it. It can be good because often times companies will look at what fansubs are being downloaded in large quantities to licence and distribute. SO before an anime is licenced fansubing isn't illegal, and it can actually help anime. Don't know if you knew that or not, if you did I hope you don't think I'm treating you like an idot

Anyways! Welcome to the A.A.A. I hope you continue to enjoy what we're doing and keep listening.

I've gotta say Welcome to the site!!! I highly approve of you having Haibane Renmei on your favorites list. It's on mine as well! Such a cleverly constructed, yet philospohical storyline with great atmosphere and characters!

We are so happy you like the podcast. It's really tough getting started. We are new, but serious and we hope to keep offering new stuff in the future to keep things fresh. Thanks also for joining the forum. We love to hear from you guys. If you want an anime reviewed or a topic discussed, we really will do it. We hope in the future that half of the topics come from you guys.

So please enjoy and keep talking to us! Episode 3 just went up and we hope it. See you on the forums. Finally, I hate to ask our fans to do publicity for us(we are advertising in our local area), tell your friends about us and hopefully they will enjoy it too!

Let's talk more about your favorite animes in other sections of the forum. My top anime are:

Grave of the Fireflies, GTO, Samurai X, Now and Then Here and There, Hajime no Ippo, Clannad, the 12 kingdoms and more!

Princess Tutu genuinely surprised me. While it was recommended to me by a person whose opinion and taste I trust, I was questioning both for the first few episodes, but that didn't last long. (Also, in retrospect, the opening episodes are much better than I thought them at the time.) It really is an exceptionally well-written and put together show.

About fansubs, I'm pretty sure that an unofficial release is usually illegal, but I'm actually unsure as to whether that applies to unlicensed shows, as I've heard both ways. Either way, even though morally it makes perfect sense to watch a show in that way if I have no other option beyond importing it and learning Japanese, doing so (and I've definitely done it in the past) just makes me feel guilty, which is something I can't rationalize away. Like I said, I find there to be nothing morally wrong about it for other people, it just doesn't sit well with my pesky conscience

. . .Bokurano still hangs there like a forbidden fruit, though. Maybe someday I'll give in. (Moreso the second season of Kodocha, but I'm not sure that's even available fansubbed.)

Mitsugi:

Haibane Renmei is wonderful - I am very much in love with quiet, philosophical shows (Kino's Journey and Mushi-shi are two other lovely examples), and that one truly is amazing. I've actually been meaning to give it a re-watch recently. Maybe before I go to school, as I'm not sure yet if it's coming with me.

In that case, I will try hard to give you guys as much input as I can. I really do enjoy the show, and so many anime podcasts are incredibly boisterous and identical, so finding one that isn't really is a treat. I can think of a couple shows I'd really like to hear impressions or reviews of, so I'll mention them elsewhere on this forum.

Clannad was really a solid and enjoyable show, I'm glad you like it, too. It did a lot of fun things with the characters, and it was incredibly sweet without ever feeling cloying, though I guess it could to others.

I haven't seen Twelve Kingdoms yet, but I have been intending to for a long time. I probably won't until after next March, though, because I've been following the books(which are incredible,) and I'd prefer to catch up with the anime first.

Oh, no, I totally understand that, Chiaki, and I didn't take it as criticism. Honestly, life would be easier if I wasn't doing that to myself, and it really is tempting as there are some things I'd love to see that will never, never be licensed (Macross Frontier is one, Rose of Versailles another), so I totally appreciate what you said.